


Do You Believe In Miracles?

by once_fallen_twice_damned



Series: Miracles 'verse [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Genre: (author tries), (but he don't know that), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Author Is Sleep Deprived, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Castiel (Supernatural) at Hogwarts, Castiel is Saved from the Empty (Supernatural), Castiel is So Done (Supernatural), Castiel is Taken by The Empty | The Shadow (Supernatural), De-Aged Castiel (Supernatural), Gen, How Do I Tag, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, Pre-Episode: s15e19 Inherit the Earth, Sad Castiel (Supernatural), The Empty | The Shadow Being an Asshole (Supernatural), but!, so!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/once_fallen_twice_damned/pseuds/once_fallen_twice_damned
Summary: Castiel had finally let himself be happy, had sacrificed himself for the world, for his family, for Dean.But the Empty wasn't asleep just yet, and the Empty was cruel.He woke up on a train, September 1991, with a single task: protect the Master of Death.(It was going to be a long seven years.)
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel & Sam Winchester, Castiel & The Empty | The Shadow (Supernatural), Castiel (Supernatural) & Draco Malfoy, Castiel (Supernatural) & Harry Potter, Castiel (Supernatural) & Hermione Granger, Castiel (Supernatural) & Neville Longbottom, Castiel (Supernatural) & Ron Weasley, Castiel/Dean Winchester (heavily implied)
Series: Miracles 'verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086290
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	Do You Believe In Miracles?

**Author's Note:**

> Despite me using episode titles to name my chapters, they're not in order or related to the episodes in question at all. If they fit with the chapter even slightly, then I'll use it. Yes, this is because I'm too lazy to come up with titles myself. On another note, updates will be sporadic because I have no plan for this and no pre-written chapters either.

The darkness was everywhere, suffocating. 

It was a formless void, nothingness, but it was crushing him, consuming him, and he was _drowning, drowning, drowning._

"Hello, Castiel."

The voice broke through the deafening silence in a sarcastic, lazy drawl that sunk deep into his being. He turned slowly, defeated, to the Empty, once again a perfect replica of Meg. 

"Why won't you let me rest?"

It quirked an eyebrow, lips tilting up in a mocking smile.

"That would be boring, Clarence." It shrugged, "And you gave me Billie. She means much more to me than you do."

"I woke you up."

"And Billie tricked me. Lied to me. I don't forgive that."

"You don't forgive anything," Castiel said before he could stop himself.

To his surprise, the Empty grinned. 

"So; while I wait for someone to put me back to sleep, I need entertainment." Its smirk widened. "Let me suggest a deal-"

"No. No more deals," Castiel interrupted.

No matter the benefits that came with it, a deal would only end in pain and loss and death. A deal had cost him Dean. Had cost him his family. Sam. Jack. ~~He couldn't-~~

"I'm not giving you a choice." The Empty said. It was enjoying his pain, Castiel knew. "See, a problem arises with the loss of Death. She claimed her Master already, but now he lacks any kind of protection. So I'm sending you to him, and you only get to leave when his story is over." 

Angels knew of the Master of Death, of course. A chosen whose job was to collect three items of Death's choosing before their death, upon which they would be tasked with the handling of Death's reapers and occasionally retrieve souls from their wrongful place in either Heaven or Hell to bring them to their final resting place. They were also commonly delegated to paperwork duty.

The Empty smiled, and for a moment Castiel had to remind himself that It wasn't Meg, just wearing her body.

"And maybe, _maybe_ , if you prove to be entertaining enough, I'll have your boyfriend join you." It went on, ignoring Castiel's wide eyes and quiet _Thank You_. "And I'll sweeten the deal, because I'll let you keep your mojo, and won't take you back as long as you don't die before seven years are over."

"And the catch?"

Because the deal was _too_ good, and deals always, always had conditions. A favor for a favor, power for a soul.

~~(A life for a life.)~~

"I won't tell you, because where's the fun in that?" The Empty waved a hand, form melting into black goo as It sunk back into Itself. "Have fun, Castiel."

And then-

Nothing.

* * *

He woke disoriented, in a body much smaller than he had grown used to the past eleven years. 

He was on the floor of a train compartment in a vessel that looked like a younger version of Jimmy Novak - aged maybe ten or eleven years old - and wearing a sized-down version of the clothes he'd worn as he died. Upon further inspection, his scars and the anti-possession tattoo he'd gotten as a human remained. He was surprised to find that on his shoulder was a handprint like the one Dean had, although it's black colour told him that it symbolized the Empty's claim on him. He summoned some Grace to cover it, and the more questionable scars, making sure no normal human would be able to see them. 

There was a trunk under his seat, which he opened to find filled with books and different versions of a school uniform, although the robes clued him in as to where he was. The Empty had sent him to the Wizarding World. All angels knew of it, of course; the first Born-Witch had been the daughter of a cambion. Still, they never interacted with it, as very few witches or wizards believed in the existence of Angels and Demons, not even abstractly.

He was putting his trunk back under his seat when there was a knock at the door and a messy head of black hair peeked in.  
  
"Hey, um, could I sit here?" He seemed intimidated, which Castiel didn't quite understand, but despite his years of interacting with and _being_ human, there were a _lot_ of emotional nuances he still didn't quite understand.

~~(And still, he had learned love-)~~

"Of course," Castiel said. The boy shuffled into the compartment awkwardly, and Castiel stood to help him put his trunk on the racks above the seats.  
  
When they had sat down again, Castiel asked: "What's your name?"  
  
The question was useless considering he had easily seen the boy's soul. Billie's claim on Harry Potter was bold in a way Death's never would have been, although it was to Castiel's advantage.  
  
"I'm Harry. And you?"  
  
"Castiel. Nice to meet you."  
  
They sat in silence as Castiel took one of the books from his trunk, opening it at random and rolling his eyes at the Empty's sense of humor when he saw it was the first of the Winchester Gospels.  
  
He flipped through it quickly, but found that reading about Sam and Dean left a deep, aching pain in his chest and tears in his eyes. He went to put it away when he noticed Harry's eyes on him.  
  
"Is that a Muggle book?" He asked shyly, blushing slightly as he realized he had been caught.  
  
Castiel almost asked what a Muggle was before he remembered it was a the preferred term for non-magical in this world.  
  
"Yes." After a pause he asked, "Would you like to read it? It's the first in a long series, and I've already read them all." And lived through a good portion too.  
  
Harry nodded hesitantly and Castiel reached over to hand him the paperback, slowing his movement halfway as he noticed Harry's minute flinch.  
  
Now that he looked closer, he could notice faded, hand-shaped bruises on his wrists, and another near his collar where his too-big shirt slipped over a shoulder. Castiel itched to reach out and heal the boy, but knew that he would have to build trust before being able to do so.  
  
Harry gazed at the book cover for a moment before opening it and starting on the first lines, quickly becoming engrossed in the novel as Castiel took another book out of the trunk - this time one on religious beliefs in the Wizarding World.  
  
The fact that the book was barely a hundred pages told Castiel all he needed to know even before he had cracked the book open.  
  
The train started moving soon after, and then a knock at the compartment door startled both he and Harry. They looked up as the door opened to reveal a boy with carrot-orange hair shuffle in awkwardly.  
  
"Er, could I join you? Everywhere else is full."  
  
After a quick overview of the boy's soul to make sure he wouldn't be a danger to Castiel's charge, the angel nodded and the boy sat down next to Harry.  
  
"I'm Ron, Ron Weasley. Who're you?"  
  
"Harry." After a short pause, "Harry Potter."  
  
The boy's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but Castiel cut in smoothly.  
  
"And I'm Castiel Novak. Good to meet you." He smiled slightly, a curve of his lips really, but the sharp glare he shot Ron discouraged the other from asking any insensitive questions.  
  
And really, it said a lot about how much Castiel had changed that he had learned the fine art of tact.  
  
(He tried not to think of his last words to Dean.)  
  
"You're American?" Ron asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes," Castiel said. "I grew up in Lebanon, Kansas, but a colleague of my father's sent me to study at Hogwarts, although I should be going back after our seventh year."   
  
There was a silence, Castiel still not used to making small-talk and Harry and Ron both obviously awkward.  
  
Finally, Ron spoke, asking Harry: "So, er, what're you reading?" His nose wrinkled slightly as he said this; Castiel safely guessed he had no love for literature.  
  
Harry shrugged awkwardly, shooting Castiel a pleading glance.  
  
"It's a Muggle book series," He started, "Two brothers who hunt supernatural creatures together."  
  
"Supernatural creatures?"  
  
"Things like werewolves, vampires, ghouls... Vengeful spirits too. And occasionally, Deal-Witches."  
  
"Deal-Witches?" Harry asked softly.  
  
They were interrupted by a knock on the compartment door as a woman popped her head in.  
  
"Candy from the trolley, dears?"  
  
Ron hardheartedly motioned to a sandwich he pulled from his pocket, but Harry reached for a few silver coins in his own, grinning as the woman handed them a vast selection of candy.  
  
As they ate (and Castiel found that despite still having Grace, he could taste like a human would), he continued his explanation.  
  
"Deal-Witches, or Borrowers, are Muggles who make deals and borrow their magic; most of the time using it to cause harm via hex-bags." Seeing that Ron hadn't yet stopped listening and that Harry seemed fascinated, Castiel went on. "Born-Witches are what you qualify as, but many don't practice magic with wands, and instead use older spellcraft and rituals. And then finally, Taught-Witches, or Students. They learn the kind of magic that doesn't need innate power from a mentor."  
  
"Blimey," Ron said. "We're never taught that. How did you find out?"  
  
Castiel shrugged, "One of my best friends is a Taught-Witch, although not officially. And I knew a Born-Witch before her death."  
  
He let Ron and Harry take in the information, going back to his book (although it was mostly a chore - their ideas of Heaven and Hell were hilariously wrong).  
  
Ron and Harry started quietly talking among themselves; Castiel had a feeling he had just shaken their worldview - especially Ron's.  
  
There was a knock at the door just as Castiel finished the chapter on Demons, and a round-faced boy came in, eyes shiny with tears.  
  
"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"  
  
Castiel shook his head, although he stood up. "I'll help you look, if you want."

A look of sheer relief took over the boy's face. "T-Thank you," He stuttered. "He keeps getting away from me."

He sniffled again, and Castiel smiled slightly, hopefully comfortingly, as they left the compartment together. 

"I'm Castiel," He said. "Have you asked one of the upper years to find your toad? I'm sure someone on the train knows a summoning spell."

"N-Neville. And, uh, no but I think-"

"I already tried," Another voice came from behind them, and Castiel turned to be faced with a frizzy-haired brunette, already in the school uniform standing with her hands on her hips. "The prefects didn't even listen to me when I knocked. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

Castiel frowned, "Castiel Novak. And prefects are upperclassmen, right? Like student representatives?" At her annoyed nod, he said, "Can you show me to their compartment, please?"

She sighed, but pointed to a compartment at the end of the train carriage, one Castiel could see was enchanted to be bigger on the inside. He straightened his coat and tie, before marching to the door and knocking twice, loudly. An older boy opened the door, his tie colored silver and green.

"What do you need." He said, turning his nose up at Castiel.

"I was hoping you could perform a simple summoning spell, please." He put on what Dean had once dubbed the 'lost puppy eyes'. "A friend of mine's lost his pet."

"The toad?" He wrinkled his nose. When Castiel nodded in affirmation, he scoffed, "Better the pet stays lost, then. Sod off."

He went to shut the door, but Castiel, in a move befitting Dean, stopped it with his foot, unflinching even as the boy tried to close it on it.

"I said. Please." He glared heatedly, and though he was in a younger body the effect was still apparently there, because the boy flinched, stumbling backwards slightly before rolling his eyes, pulling his wand out with an impatient _'What's its name?'_

Castiel smiled.

* * *

He walked back to the compartment he shared with Harry and Ron with Hermione, Neville, and Trevor the toad in tow. 

After quick introductions, Ron and Harry immediately started asking questions about different Witch types, so he repeated the explanation he's given them to Neville and Hermione, the former stunned and the latter fascinated, asking even more questions. 

At some point in the conversation, Ron's pet rat Scabbers crawled out of his pocket to sniff at the empty candy wrappers littering the seats. Castiel had never had any dislike to animals of any kind (although he did favor bees) but the something about the rat felt _off_ to him. He decided to keep an eye on the seemingly harmless animal, because he had learned from Sam and Dean both to trust his instincts.

Eventually, Hermione brought up the Houses.

"Likely I'll be in Gryffindor," Ron said. "Mum and Dad were in it, and all my brothers too. I don’t know what they’ll say if I’m not. I don’t suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin.”

"Slytherin is the house of ambition and cunning, is it not?" Castiel asked. Those qualities could certainly apply to people he knew. Crowley, Gabriel, Rowena. Granted they weren't the best people, and had skewed morals, but all three had sacrificed themselves for the world, in the end.

"The house of evil, more like," Ron scoffed. "You-Know-Who and his followers all came from Slytherin."

"The Dark Lord, yes?" Castiel asked. "I'd assume that exactly because it was his house, he had more influence and was able to convince people to join his cause. No one is born evil; but some qualities can be used and twisted until that person becomes selfish and power-hungry. I don't know enough about the Wizarding War, but some people part of Voldemort's followers probably had good intentions, just went about it the wrong way."

Ron didn't look convinced, and neither did Neville, but Castiel knew that this prejudice was probably something they had grown up with, and it would take work to break them out of it.

(And who better than the angel that had tried to play God, to teach them about good intentions and hunger for power?)

"Anyway," Harry said, breaking the awkward silence that had taken over the compartment. "What house do you think you'll be in, Castiel?"

He searched his memories for the several times Balthazar had rambled about the Wizarding World and Hogwarts. His friend had had a particular fondness for Wizards, and often, had come to Castiel to excitedly explain his discoveries.

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. Parts of me belong in every house, and some to none." He shrugged, "We'll have to wait and see."

He only listened with half an ear at the rest of the conversation, now trying to sort his friends into the Houses. Both the Winchesters could fit in every house really, although when he thought about it really, he could narrow it down: Sam would either be Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, but Castiel wasn't sure whether his fondness of research overshadowed his bravery and, often, recklessness. Dean, he though, could fit into Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but again Castiel wasn't sure which was more dominant: his loyalty and brashness.

If the Empty stuck to their deal, he would hopefully find out one day.

At Hermione's insistence, they changed into their robes early, and Castiel immediately decided to research uniform regulations, because the robes were extremely impractical and would just get in the way during a real fight.

He was already wearing the button-up and slacks that were part of the uniform, so he simply shed the suit jacket and trenchcoat to pack in his trunk. He curled his nose at the pointed hat nearly folded on the bottom, and took a moment to wonder what possessed these people to wear such clothes.

The thought reminded him of Meg, however, and the way she would playfully (or maybe not, it was hard to tell with her) criticize him for his clothes during his stint in the mental ward, and he sobered quickly.

Neville and Hermione started comparing Muggle vs Magical plants when the latter came back inside the compartment, and Ron enthusiastically explaining the rules of a sport called Quidditch to Harry. Castiel continued on the book he'd been reading, and, after some digging for a pen, started making annotations.

A lot of lore he'd come across over the years was inaccurate, of course, but this book was simply... absurd. So very _absurd_. 

He couldn't decide whether he should laugh or cry. 

There was another knock at the door. 

Castiel had to wonder why this compartment in particular was so popular. 

The door slid open and three boys walked in. Castiel took notice of the spark of recognition in Harry's eyes upon seeing the white-blonde one, and narrowed his eyes a the pale boy, looking beyond and to his soul. 

It was surprisingly like Sam's had been before the Cage - bright, but slightly tainted with a darkness that, in the wrong hands, could bring to pain. Lots of pain. Castiel decided to keep an eye on him. Just in case.

He sighed, shut the book with his pen inside to keep his page, and looked up. 

"Yes?" 

His eyebrow twitched as the other boy ignored him completely. 

“Is it true?” the blonde boy said. “They’re saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?” 

“Yes,” said Harry. 

Castiel almost groaned as the blond boy smiled, smug and self-important. He motioned to the thickset boys standing on either side of him, like bodyguards.

“Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle,” said the pale boy carelessly; he had noticed Harry looking at the boys in question. “And my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.” 

Ron snickered slightly. Malfoy glared at him sharply, but Castiel cut in quickly, before the redhead could dig himself into a deeper hole.

A tidbit of information from Metatron's information-dump into his mind came up, and before he could help himself, Castiel said: "And I'm Bond. James Bond."

Hermione snorted, bringing a hand up to her mouth to unsuccessfully suppress her giggles. 

Malfoy frowned, obviously not understanding the reference. Castiel shared a small grin with Hermione. 

"Don't worry bout it," said Castiel. "It's Castiel Novak, actually."

"Can't say I've every heard the name Novak around? Is it an American family?" Malfoy curled his nose as he said 'American', uncomfortably reminding Castiel of the British Men of Letters. 

"Yes," Castiel said. He had a feeling that saying otherwise wouldn't bring into Malfoy's good graces. 

The boy turned away from him and towards Ron, turning his nose up at him.

"And no need to ask who you are, of course. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.”

Ron bristled.

Malfoy turned back to Harry. “You’ll soon find out some Wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.”

He held out his hand in Harry's direction, but the other didn't take it. 

“I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,” the brunette said coolly.

Malfoy's cheeks tinged slightly pink against his pale complexion.

“I’d be careful if I were you, Potter,” he said slowly. “Unless you’re a bit politer you’ll go the same way as your parents. They didn’t know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it’ll rub off on you.”

Ron and Harry made to stand up, angry, but Castiel shook his head at them even as Neville and Hermione watched anxiously. 

"You'd do well to leave, Draco Malfoy." Castiel said, standing defiantly in front of the boy in question. He was a bit shorter than the other, but it didn't deter Castiel as he met the other's eyes unflinchingly. He smiled, "Before you do something you regret." 

Malfoy scoffed, "What can you do to me, American? You wouldn't dare fight the Heir of the Noble House of Malfoy-"

He staggered back into his bodyguards, clutching his bloody nose. 

Castiel shrugged, clenching and unclenching his fist. That had hurt more than he's expected, but the Empty had said there was a price. And he'd been able to taste before... maybe It had given him human sensations like pain and hunger despite his having his Grace? He's have to experiment later. 

Hand still held up to his face, Malfoy retreated quickly, following Crabbe and Goyle after declaring nasally: "My Father will hear about this!" 

As soon as he had slammed the compartment door closed, Ron and Harry exploded into laughter. Neville still looked slightly terrified, and Castiel hid a wince as he noticed Hermione's disapproving frown.

"You shouldn't have done that, Castiel. It could bring trouble." 

He sighed, "It definitely will, but Malfoy needs a reality check. And," He added as an afterthought, "A lesson in genetics."

He had to stop himself from smacking his head against the wall when Ron and Neville looked up, matching expressions on confusion on their faces, and said in unison: "What's genetics?"

It would be a long seven years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- finally posted the pilot chapter! not beta read, or really proofread for that matter but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> \- yes, some dialogue comes directly from the novel   
> \- having some trouble with cas, bc i want to write him all formal but he's also a dork and so very human so... thoughts?   
> \- spoiler alert: yes, dean will show up. yes, 15x20 can bite me  
> \- no clue when the next one'll be out, but hopefully soon  
> \- thoughts? comments? constructive criticism welcome!
> 
> lots of love <3  
> \- nadja


End file.
